Taita Taveta hosts gender conference amid rising GBV cases

Data collected from hospitals and police stations has revealed at least 186 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were reported in Taita Taveta County between January and May this year.

Data released at a gender conference in Voi Town on Saturday shows that last year 630 GBV cases were reported in Taita Taveta. Governor Andrew Mwadime said most cases go unreported.

Mwadime and women leaders declared war on perpetrators of GBV, especially gender-based violence (SGBV), warning them that their days were over.

The participants also criticised the assembly for not passing the SGBV Bill to bolster the fight against the vice.  Mwadime said men in the county were also facing the worst GBV. 

“The problem is that men do not speak up and are suffering in silence at home. Dozens of them have told me that they are buttered and denied conjugal rights by the wives,” he said.

Other reported GBV cases prevalent, cited during the conference, include defilement, rape, incest, sodomy, FGM, child labour and trafficking, early pregnancy and marriages, among others.

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Last year, Voi Sub County reported 239 cases, Taveta had 165, Mwatate had 128, and Taita had 108 cases.

This year, the latest victim was a Grade Two girl who was defiled and murdered at the Werugha location in Taita Sub County early this month.

 Deputy Governor Christine Kilalo blamed the rising cases of GBV on retrogressive beliefs, lack of affirmative action and widespread sale and consumption of illicit crews and drugs.

“There is a tradition among the locals that SGBV cannot be discussed in public. Members of the public have also remained silent as perpetrators of such violence remain scot-free,” said Ms Kilalo.

The theme of this year’s conference is breaking the silence, confronting GBV, ending femicide, and empowering women for a just society.

“Women at the grassroots level should speak, rise and stand firm in the fight to eradicate the vice. If we continue keeping quiet, then GBV cases will persist,” stated the Deputy Governor.

National Government Affirmative Action Fund (Ngaaf) County Coordinator Dorine Ngeti called for concerted efforts to end GBV cases.

She told the meeting that the multi-million-shilling rescue and rehabilitation centre for victims of sexual violence, drug and alcohol addicts and the neglected elderly in the region is 95 per cent complete.

“Our approach should no longer be casual. We should apply multi-sectoral approaches that will help address and curb incidences of GBV in the county,” said Ngeti.

She urged county and national governments to ensure a trained workforce, sufficient funding, access to health services for victims, and resources for awareness programmes.

Ngeti said the project would be handed over to the county administration for use once fully operational.

“We have several gender-based violence cases which have been dismissed in courts for lack of evidence because victims of sexual violence are either being intimidated or threatened by the perpetrators of such violence.

The governor announced that his administration will allocate additional funds in the next supplementary budget to address gender-based violence, which he called a serious concern.